Showing posts with label adventures in the kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventures in the kitchen. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Key Lime Cupcakes

It's been awhile since I blogged a recipe, hasn't it? Well, at the request of a couple blog friends I my new favorite cupcake recipe to share with you! It's a pretty easy one to follow that results in home made tasting cupcakes...there is a secret though...it starts with a box mix. {Gasp!} Crazy, I know!!

Here goes!

Cupcakes:
box lemon cake mix
box (4 serving) of lime Jello
3/4 cup of water
1/2 cup of oil
1/3 cup key lime juice
3 eggs
green food coloring (optional)

Frosting:
package (8oz) cream cheese
1/4 butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
food coloring (optional)

Directions:
  • Heat oven to 350*. In a large bowl, beat cupcake ingredients with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes. Divide batter among cupcake liners (or cake pan if you chose that route).
  • Bake cupcakes 19 to 24 minutes (I did 20) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack (or counter if you are me!)
  • In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in vanilla and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar until mixed; beat on medium speed until fluffy. You could also add any color food coloring if you prefer. Frost and enjoy!
Notes:
  • These cupcakes are very moist and delicious!
  • In my opinion, the frosting that accompanies these cupcakes was too thin. I added about 1 cup of additional powdered sugar...the frosting is SWEET!
  • I did not add coloring to my cake mix, I felt that the lime jello added enough of a lime green color and didn't want to add additional coloring.
  • I used low fat cream cheese and butter, next time I will use applesauce in place of oil. Gotta cut calories everywhere possible...
  • Since I love fruit and love anything key lime, these were a hit at our house (and Stephen's work!). The recipe has been added to my recipe box and will return summer after summer at our house, I'm sure!
Let me know if you take a stab at these, I would love to hear your stories and opinions.

Enjoy! :)


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Home Improvement Project #1

A few weekends ago we tackled our biggest home improvement project thus far: the kitchen backsplash. We had found the tile we loved and purchased it the same day we got our new(er) car and it was finally time to get it up on the wall. Did we know what we were in for? Well, Stephen did...but me? Notsomuch.

Here are the before pictures:


And some during photos:
That is what Louie did for most of the day...lay in the living room, looking into the kitchen wondering what in the world we were doing!


...and the after photos:


We LOVE it!

 I think this was a great project for us to get started with, and the outcome is great. We both agree that the tiles add so much to the kitchen.

What do you think?  


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Easter Cupcakes...fail

Here where I work, we do a little something something for every one's birthday. You may call it a pot-luck, but we call it a carry-in. Tomato, tamato, potato, patato-you get the idea :) Well, it is my job to coordinate these events with my co-workers in my department. Last Friday we were having one for one of our in house contract sales directors. The theme was set; salads. And the menu was established. What was I bringing? Pasta salad and cupcakes for the birthday boy of course!

White butter cake batter died a festive blue for Easter :)

Pretty polka dot cupcake liners, thank you Hobby Lobby

Yum :)

Pretty and blue inside...color turned out great!

These are totally more Valentine's Day than Easter themed. Woops.

I ended up with lots of batter left over...so, what did I do? Made cute mini cupcakes for us to enjoy at home. Of course!
I was excited about these cupcakes. Wait, I am always excited about cupcakes...anyways, I had a vision. Unfortunately the vision I had in my head did not come to fruition. I stand firm in my belief that I should get an A for effort though. That and the fact that everyone who ate a cupcake raved about how delicious they were. Little did they know that they looked nothing like what I wanted them to look like.

At least they tasted great, right?

Next cupcake and cake adventure is this weekend for Robin's wedding shower. I have new icing tips and everything! I am excited to use all my new stuff and get busy baking/decorating! Happy Wednesday, y'all!